Oregon State 31, Arizona State 28: Drama at the end, but redemption for the defense

CORVALLIS – Maybe a last-second defensive stand to win a game is just what Oregon State needed.

Maybe the Beavers were tired of getting kicked around on the message boards.

Maybe they figured it couldn’t get any worse, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

No question, Mike Riley’s team drew a line in the sand Saturday before its Pacific 10 Conference opener and said enough is enough.

There were so many players stepping up – trying to compensate for the absence of star wide receiver/punt returner James Rodgers – Riley might have lost count.

“We tried not to read the papers, or listen to what people were saying, but this is the age of information,’’ said cornerback James Dockery after OSU’s thrilling 31-28 victory over Arizona State at Reser Stadium.

Oh, the Beavers knew what was being said about them, all right.

They used it as inspiration, and when the game was over, when OSU had made one final defensive stand, big defensive tackle Stephen Paea said, “I think this can be a turning point.’’

They did, sacking Threet six times (no misprint), hurrying him a half-dozen more, putting him on the seat of his pants after he made throws.

The plays that were missing against No. 6 TCU and No. 3 Boise State, and for parts of a win over Louisville, suddenly were front and center in front of a crowd of 45,409 that honored the school’s 2000-2001 Fiesta Bowl team at halftime.

Threet didn’t have the mobility or the moxie of TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, or BSU’s Kellen Moore, and the Beavers ate him up.

“It felt like he was more comfortable staying in the pocket, which was good for us,’’ said Paea, who had two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass break-up.

Threet threw three interceptions – he had four last week in a loss to Oregon – and could have had two more because he threw two balls right at OSU safety Lance Mitchell, and a third that Mitchell caught at the goal line to ruin a Sun Devils' drive.

The Michigan transfer never got into a rhythm against the maligned OSU front seven.

“This is going to open people’s eyes,’’ said Beavers’ linebacker Keith Pankey.

“If you let us, we’re going to get to you. If you hold onto the ball against our defense, you’re going to get hit.’’

For ASU (2-3, 0-2) and former OSU coach Dennis Erickson, the coach of that terrific 11-1 team in 2000, it was more of the same.

The Sun Devils have some spectacular individual players, but something’s missing. They don’t play smart. “It’s getting old, it really is,’’ said Erickson. “I’m real concerned, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier.’’

The schedule is also unforgiving for Oregon State, with the Beavers bracing for No. 14 Arizona in Tucson.

But at least Riley’s team now has more belief it can pull off a huge win on the road.

On a day when the old swagger came back to Oregon State football, some wounded egos were soothed on both sides of the ball.

Riley didn’t want to risk playing Rodgers, who suffered a concussion at Boise State, so Rodgers played cheerleader and stood on the sidelines, watching nine different players catch Ryan Katz passes in a game that saw OSU rush for 156 yards, roll up 416 yards of total offense, and finally convert a few third downs (five).

Katz played the best game of his career, completing 19 of 29 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns.

“That was a lot of fun,’’ he said later. “I was a little scared at the end, but that was a huge win.’’

OSU tailback Jacquizz Rodgers, frustrated after a 46-yard rushing game in Boise and determined to pick up the slack for his brother, was just short of amazing with 145 yards and two touchdowns, a reverse-his-field 4-yarder and a 74-yard burst to the end zone early in the fourth quarter that gave OSU a 31-20 lead.

It was the longest run of Quizz’s career, but it almost wasn’t enough.

ASU blocked a Johnny Hekker punt with 2:56 left, scored quickly, and tacked on a two-point conversion to get within a field goal.

The Sun Devils got one final possession in the closing seconds but they had to start from their own 12 after Hekker produced a clutch 45-yard punt.

Dockery intercepted Threet for the second time with 17 seconds left to start the Reser celebration. The secondary that couldn’t cover anybody in the losses to TCU and Boise State was sticking to WRs like wallpaper.

“We played a lot better,’’ said Dockery in the understatement of the night.

When Threet went down the middle on ASU’s last play, OSU’s No. 4 was reading him like a book.

“Once they blocked that punt, I knew it was going to get interesting, and on that last series we knew they were going to throw, and I was ready to make them pay for it when they did,’’ said Dockery, who was almost called for pass interference on the play.

Riley said OSU, “almost made the plays to lose the game at the end.’’

When it was finally over, when Dockery cradled the ball and the resurrection of an entire defensive unit was complete, Riley said he felt mostly relief, a feeling probably shared by defensive coordinator Mark Banker, and cornerbacks coach Keith Heyward.

But there was also the realization that in a strange way, not having James Rodgers for one afternoon was not all bad.

“I don’t want to play without James very often, but what I was most proud of today was how many guys stepped up,'' said Riley.

Maybe it’s just that time of year for OSU.

Mostly because of their brutal pre-season schedules, the Beavers have ended the month of September with a sub-.500 record for seven straight years.

But they are 38-14 since 2004 in the months of October, November, and December.